Jazz, Vampires, and Hitmen: Inside Bruce McDonald’s "Dreamland"

On this episode of Center Stage, I sit down with one of Canada’s most original and boundary-pushing filmmakers—Bruce McDonald—to talk about his wild and surreal film Dreamland. Known for his genre-defying work, McDonald takes us on a darkly stylish ride where a narcissistic crime boss, a haunted hitman, a child-stealing vampire, and a nod to jazz legend Chet Baker collide in a cinematic fever dream. With its mix of noir, horror, and twisted humor, Dreamland is anything but ordinary—and in our conversation, Bruce shares how he crafted this bold, genre-blurring vision, why he’s drawn to the strange and subversive, and what it means to make films that dance on the edge of reality. Buckle up—this is a journey into the bizarre, the beautiful, and the unforgettable.